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Panola Fillies decked out in pink!

Sophomore Fillies were honored before the game with Blinn on Thursday, Nov. 27.

"We honor our five sophomores and their families for the heart, dedication, and time they have devoted to Panola College and our volleyball team," said Nicole Thorn, head volleyball coach.

The first sophomore transferred from Frank Phillips College and is a right-side hitter from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, #9 Vanessa Gomes.  She joined the team this year and has done a remarkable job.  On the year, she has played in 91 sets, posted 150 kills on 348 attempts with a .330 hitting efficiency, and averages 1.7 kills/set.  Defensively, Gomes has contributed 45 digs and 53 blocks on the year.  Her personal best was against Salt Lake Community College this season as she posted 12 kills on 17 attempts with 1 hitting error.  Gomes is majoring in International Studies and plans to continue her playing career and education after Panola College. 

The second sophomore is Hali Turner, a libero/outside hitter from Carthage, Texas.  Turner has left her mark in this program for the hard work and effort she plays with every time she steps on the court, according to Thorn.  Early on in 2010, Turner was asked to take over the libero position to anchor the Fillies passing and defense and she made an immediate impact.  Turner played in 80 sets, compiled a team high 394 digs and averaged 5 digs/set.  In 2010, Turner also posted a personal best of 32 digs in a four game match against Lon Morris on September 27, 2010.  Turner finished the season with All-Conference Honorable Mention recognition in Region XIV.  In 2011, Turner has contributed both offensively and defensively as an outside hitter.  Thus far, Turner has played in 91 sets and is fourth on the team with 275 hitting attempts, second on the team with 272 total digs averaging 3 digs per game.  This year, Turner’s personal best came this past Friday against conference foe Paris Junior College.  The Fillies beat Paris in five games with Turner contributing 21 digs for a season high.  She is majoring in General Studies and plans to enter the Sonography program at Angelina Jr. College in Lufkin, Texas.

Samantha Peterson, #3 is the third sophomore is from DeSoto, Texas and one of the hardest working players on the team.  In 2010, a month into the season, Peterson was called on to control the play at the net offensively and defensively and she responded well.  As a freshman, she played in 66 sets, had 56 kills, and averaged 1.2 kills per set.  On defense she contributed 46 blocks.  In 2010, she was selected to the All-Conference Honorable Mention team.  As a sophomore she has played in 87 sets, has 109 kills on 284 attempts with a .230 hitting efficiency, and averages 1.3 kills per set.  Defensively, she has 22 digs and 52 blocks on the year.  Her personal best came against TJC on October 6^th as she contributed 6 solo blocks and 5 kills.  Peterson is majoring in Kinesiology and plans to continue her playing career at the next level. 

The fourth sophomore is from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and has contributed more than anyone could imagine to the Panola College volleyball program, #10 Marcela Alves.  Alves was recruited as a middle blocker originally but due to some unfortunate circumstances her freshman year in 2010, Alves was called upon to play a position she had never played before.  With her 6’2 frame, she was asked to set/run the Fillies offense and with no hesitation she accepted the challenge and did a remarkable job.  Playing in 108 sets,  she had 147 kills on 332 hitting attempts with a .370 hitting efficiency, and averaged 1.4 kills/set.  Alves finished the season with 592 total assists averaging 5.4 assist/game.  Not only was she an offensive threat, but on defense she posted 78 Blocks, 226 total digs averaging 2.1 digs per set.  She was selected to the All-Conference 2^nd Team for Region XIV-District K.  With the addition of a few setters in 2011, Alves has been able to move back to her original middle blocker position as a sophomore.   Thus far, she has played in 91 sets, has 296 kills on 587 attempts and is ranked twentieth in the country with a .414 hitting efficiency.  Alves is second on the team averaging 3.3 kills per set.  She has also contributed 71 blocks and 61 digs respectively.  Her personal best match came this season on September 17^th against Midland posting 27 kills on 29 attempts with no errors.  Alves is majoring in Journalism and has committed to Texas Women’s University in 2012 to continue her playing and education career. 

The fifth sophomore is from Sao Paulo, Brazil and has left her name all over the volleyball record books, #13 Josiane Santos.  As a freshman, she played in 109 sets and led the team in almost every category with 335 kills on 721 attempts, a .360 hitting efficiency, and  averaging 3.1 kills/game.   Defensively, Santos contributed 252 digs on the year averaging 2.3 digs/game and 55 blocks.  Santos was named the 2010 District K Freshman of the Year and was one of two selected to the NJCAA All-American 2^nd team for the first time in school history.  In 2011, despite battling shoulder issues, Santos again is leading the team in almost all categories.  She has played in 89 sets, posted 305 kills on 690 attempts with a .335 hitting efficiency and is averaging 3.4 kills/game.  On defense she has contributed 42 blocks and 262 digs, averaging 3 digs/game.    Santos is the first player to have twelve double-doubles in one season in history.  Santos is majoring in Marketing and has committed to Texas Woman’s University in 2012 to continue her playing and education career. 

The 2011 sophomore class has held up to the high expectations of the coaching staff.  In 2010, these freshmen faced adversity with losing over half of their teammates early on in the season.  The Fillies were ranked 10^th at the time and finished the year 7^th in the country before losing in the Championship match of the Regional Tournament.    Despite having their backs against the wall, the Fillies finished the season with a 24-5 record and second in conference.  This class has truly been a class act on and off the court.  They led the program to its highest ever ranking, #7 in the country in 2010, and have compiled a record of 42-12 during their careers.

"This sophomore class has put Panola College on the map, not only for what they accomplished in the classroom but more for what they accomplished on the court, despite everything they went through emotionally, physically, and mentally.  No coach, program, or school could ever ask for a better group of student-athletes," Thorn said.

Couldn't make it to the game? To see the girls in action, check out the Dig Pink photo gallery.